Board

Deane A. Albright, CPA

Treasurer

Deane A. Albright is the senior partner of Albright, Persing, and Associates, Ltd., a large CPA firm in Reno, Nevada, which he founded in 1976. The firm specializes in all facets of accounting, taxation, auditing, and forensic accounting for large and medium businesses, nonprofits and individuals. In addition, Mr. Albright is an investor in several Nevada businesses and venture capital enterprises. Mr. Albright is a member of WIN, EDAWN, and the Reno Chamber Of Commerce. Mr. Albright is currently involved in several organizations that promote Nevada as a place for startup companies highlighting Nevada’s favorable tax environment, lifestyle and cost of living. He is secretary treasurer of the Reno Tech Hub project and played a significant role in working with the business group that attracted Apple Inc. to choose Reno as the site of their new iCloud data center. Mr. Albright is a graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in accounting in 1971 and is a member of the Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Kathleen Conaboy

Currently a lobbyist with McDonald Carano Wilson, Kathleen Conaboy has three decades of experience in external affairs, specializing in communications and government relations. She has developed and executed advocacy strategies on the federal and state levels and served as liaison with state economic development agencies and city planning agencies on major public educational and clinical capital projects. Prior to joining McDonald Carano Wilson in 2006, Ms. Conaboy worked for 25 years in leadership roles in academic medicine in Nevada and Florida. She also consulted with a national firm specializing in accreditation, development of new medical schools, and organizational change in academic medicine and has been a program consultant to several private foundations. Ms. Conaboy has extensive experience in USAID-funded international development projects in medical education. From 1999 to 2006, she coordinated reform projects in the Central Asian Republics (CAR), including the formation of the CAR Council of Rectors, an association of the region’s leading medical educators. She also had extensive collaboration with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health in the development of a national reform strategy for health professions education. Ms. Conaboy has served in leadership roles on multiple local boards. She was named in 2012 by Governor Sandoval to the newly formed Nevada Public Charter School Authority and served as the board’s chair. Ms. Conaboy serves on the boards of the Nevada Museum of Art, the Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Nevada, and the Children’s Cabinet Foundation.

Dr. Michael Daubs

Dr. Michael D. Daubs is an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in spinal injury, deformity and reconstructive surgery. He is professor and chief of the orthopaedic surgery division at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Before joining the School of Medicine, Dr. Daubs was assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Utah and more recently at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Daubs received his medical degree from the School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Reno and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Daubs is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Jill Derby, Ph.D.

Dr. Jill Derby began her career as a cultural anthropologist with a specialty focus on Middle Eastern cultures, but early on she turned her focus to higher education policy, serving eighteen years on the Nevada Board of Regents. As Board Chair she helped guide a rapidly expanding higher education system and led the effort to establish Nevada State College, providing expanded access to Nevada students seeking careers in teaching, and nursing, In 1999, Dr. Derby became an academic governance expert working nationally and internationally with higher education governing boards to enhance their performance and address the changing needs of higher education in the 21st century. In 2011 Dr. Derby received a U.S. Senate appointment to serve on the prestigious National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which oversees the U.S. accreditation process, and advises the U.S. Secretary of Education on higher education policy. In 2012 she was appointed to the Board of the American University of Iraq, in Sulaimani, Kurdistan and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board.

Tom Gallagher

Vice President

Tom Gallagher has served as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, chief administrative officer and general counsel of another such company, chief executive of a private holding company for a well-known entertainment entrepreneur, and as a senior partner in one of the world‘s premier law firms. In his 35-year career as a businessman and lawyer, he has been a trusted adviser to domestic and foreign government bodies and international investors, as well as to elected officials at federal and state levels. Mr. Gallagher founded and currently serves as head of a private real estate development and management firm in Las Vegas. In 2004, Mr. Gallagher was nominated by the Democrats of Nevada‘s 3rd Congressional District to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Gallagher received his JD degree with honors from Harvard Law School and graduated magna cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross.

Daniel W. Hamilton, Ph.D.

Dr. Daniel W. Hamilton is the fourth dean of the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. He assumed the deanship in July 2013 and joined the Boyd School of Law faculty as the Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law. He joined UNLV from the University of Illinois College of Law where he was the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Law and History. Dean Hamilton received his Ph.D. in American legal history in 2003 from Harvard University. He received his J.D. from George Washington University and his B.A. from Oberlin College. Dean Hamilton researches and writes primarily on American property ideology and the legal and constitutional issues raised by the Civil War. He has written numerous articles and reviews on American legal history, including works in Civil War History, the Chicago-Kent Law Review, the Journal of Supreme Court History, the Journal of American History, the Journal of Southern History, the Journal of Interdisciplinary History, the Journal of National Security Law, and the Law and History Review. His book, The Limits of Sovereignty: Property Confiscation in the Union and the Confederacy During the Civil War, was published by the University of Chicago Press.

Carol C. Harter, Ph.D.

Dr. Carol Harter retired as the head of the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute (BMI) (2006-2014). During her tenure, she helped BMI grow into the chief outlet for literary arts programming in southern Nevada and secured over $10 million in gifts and pledges for BMI’s programs and activities. Dr. Harter was UNLV’s seventh and longest-serving president (1995-2006), overseeing the creation of more than 100 new degree programs and five new professional schools. She was instrumental in raising more than $550 million for the university, quadrupling the institution’s external research funding, and initiating the construction of seventeen new buildings. Prior to her arrival at UNLV, she served as president of SUNY Geneseo for six years and spent almost nineteen years at Ohio University, where she was a faculty member, ombudsman, and served in two vice presidential roles. Dr. Harter holds a Ph.D. in literature from SUNY Binghamton and has co-authored books about John Irving and E.L. Doctorow.

Doreen Spears Hartwell

Doreen Spears Hartwell formed Hartwell Thalacker, Ltd. in 2014 with Laura Thalacker. Ms. Hartwell has practiced in the area of business and commercial litigation in Nevada since 2000. Ms. Hartwell is listed in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation (Las Vegas). In December 2014, Ms. Hartwell received the “Pro Bono Attorney of the Year” Award from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada (LACSN), is a member of the Pro Bono Advisory Council for LACSN, and was appointed to the Nevada Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission in February 2014. Ms. Hartwell is the immediate-past president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association and the current chair of the LVNBA’s Attorneys in the Schools Program. In July 2014, Ms. Hartwell was appointed for a three-year term as a lawyer representative for the Nevada United States District Court. Ms. Hartwell, who is originally from Connecticut, received her B.A. from Fairfield University and her law degree from McGeorge School of Law.

Pat Hickey

Pat Hickey is a fourth-generation native Nevadan from a pioneer family in Lake Tahoe. Besides being a successful businessman, he has worked as a journalist and editor for various Nevada news outlets covering the Legislature and Nevada politics. He was elected to the Nevada Legislature in 1997. Mr. Hickey subsequently was elected by his peers as Assembly Minority Leader, where he championed educational reforms, greater accountability, and increased education funding for Nevada schools. In the 2015 Legislative Session, Assemblyman Hickey chaired the Ways and Means Subcommittee on K-12 and Higher Education Funding. Upon his retirement from the Legislature, Governor Brian Sandoval appointed Pat to the Nevada State Board of Education, where served until January 2017.

Michael "Mick" Hitchcock, Ph.D.

Dr. Michael “Mick” Hitchcock is Senior Advisor at Gilead Sciences, Inc. He has been with the company for over 22 years and has held a variety of positions, including Vice President with responsibility for project and portfolio management, strategic planning, medical affairs, and research. During his tenure, he oversaw the growth of the company from a small, 100-person biotech startup to the 5th largest (by market capitalization) pharmaceutical company in the world. The company has introduced life-changing treatments for HIV and Hepatitis C. Prior to Gilead, Dr. Hitchcock spent 12 years with Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has held two post-doctoral positions at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and Dentistry and the National Institute of Health. A resident of Reno since 2009, Dr. Hitchcock serves as a Trustee on the University of Nevada Reno Foundation and as a member of the College of Science Advisory Council. Dr. Hitchcock received his Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne, Australia and Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in England.

Kenneth Ladd

Kenneth G. Ladd served as executive vice president and head of commercial banking for U.S. Bank until December 2012. A Nevada resident since 1982, Mr. Ladd has more than 35 years banking experience, with more than 27 years at U.S. Bank. He has built an extensive background in commercial lending, credit administration, gaming finance, branch management and bank operations. Mr. Ladd has been an active participant in the Las Vegas community. He has held director’s positions with agencies such as United Way Services, Inc., Sunrise Children’s Foundation and Nevada Development Authority. He is past Chairman of the Desert Research Institute Foundation, the Nevada Development Authority and the United Way. A 1983 graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, Mr. Ladd earned his MBA from the University of Utah and his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Weber State University. He has also participated in several specialized programs in financial management.

Dana Lee

President

Dana Lee is a 1988 graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Art History. In 1993 she received a Master of Arts Management from The School of Public Policy & Management at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University. While in graduate school, Ms. Lee worked for the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. She later returned to Manhattan as foundation manager for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Lee became a consultant for Landor Associates. Her husband, Gregory, led her move to Las Vegas in 1997, where Ms. Lee worked in corporate advertising for Mirage Resorts, overseeing the branding and identity program for Bellagio Resort & Casino. Previously, Ms. Lee served on the Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force Committee, which presented The Nevada’s Promise, a blueprint for K-12 education reform in supported Nevada’s application for Race to the Top federal funding.

Additionally, Ms. Lee has served on the boards of The Meadows School, The Webb Schools of California, The Nevada Ballet Theatre, and The Las Vegas Art Museum. She is a founder, board member and past president of The Nevada Women’s Philanthropy, a pooled-fund large impact grant making organization that supports critical needs in Southern Nevada. Ms. Lee currently serves on the boards of Communities In Schools Nevada, the Guinn Center, The Nevada Women’s Philanthropy, and is a member of Teach for America Las Vegas Valley’s advisory board. She is also a member of the Las Vegas Victims Fund, which is responsible for administering the disbursement of funds donated to victims of 1 October.

Debbie Leonard

Debbie Leonard is an attorney and mediator whose practice focuses on resolving land and water disputes. As a partner at long-time Nevada law firm McDonald Carano, Ms. Leonard is chair of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group and serves as a Nevada Supreme Court settlement judge. Before becoming a lawyer, Ms. Leonard worked for the United States Forest Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to assess pollution impacts on water and wildlife. She also taught science at the secondary and college levels. Ms. Leonard received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, with a certificate in environmental law. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of California, Santa Cruz and graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a bachelor’s degree in zoology.

Erin McMullen

Erin McMullen is Director of Governmental Affairs at Boyd Gaming Corporation. As an attorney specializing in government affairs, Ms. McMullen brings a strong political background and several years of experience to Boyd Gaming. Prior to joining Boyd Gaming, she served as Director of Government and Public Affairs at R&R Partners. Previously, Ms. McMullen served as an associate attorney with the government affairs group of Snell & Wilmer, where she specialized in governmental affairs, political lobbying, and administrative and regulatory law for clients in the insurance, health care, energy, banking, and taxation arenas. She has lobbied full time at the Nevada legislature since 2005, in 6 regular sessions and 8 special sessions. Ms. McMullen is a fifth-generation Nevadan who earned her B.S. in linguistics from Georgetown University, and her J.D. from California Western School of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of Nevada and the American Bar Association, and an appointed member of the Henderson Community Development Block Grant Committee. Ms. McMullen currently serves as the President of the Board of Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood Affiliates (NAPPA). She also volunteers her time to Three Square Food Bank, Communities in Schools, and Nevada Humanities.

Thom Reilly, Ph.D.

Dr. Thom Reilly is the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Previously, he was director of Morrison Institute for Public Policy. In addition to leading Morrison Institute, he was a professor in the Arizona State University School of Public Affairs. Previously, Dr. Reilly was a professor and director of the School of Social Work at San Diego State University (SDSU). Prior to SDSU, he served as county manager and CEO of Clark County. Dr. Reilly also has extensive experience in the private sector. He is managing principal and founder of The Reilly Group, a management consulting firm, and is former vice president of social responsibility at Caesars Entertainment, Inc. He is active in several boards serving on the Board of Directors for Clean The World, on the Advisory Councils for the Stanford Center on Longevity, and the Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprises (PRIME). Dr. Reilly has held senior administrative position in the Nevada System of Higher Education, serving as vice-chancellor of the Health Sciences System. He has authored numerous published works on public pay and benefits as well as on HIV and child welfare. His most recent book, released in June 2016, is titled, The Failure of Governance in Bell, California: Big Time Corruption in a Small Town. Dr. Reilly received his master’s and doctorate of public administration from the University of Southern California.

Chris Roman

Chris Roman is President and Chief Executive Officer of MundoFox affiliates KMCC-DT Las Vegas and KYVV-DT San Antonio. Prior to heading MundoFox, which has stations in Las Vegas and most recently San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Roman held senior leadership positions at Entravision, most recently as the Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing Solutions. Mr. Roman is an active member of the Nevada community and sits on the board of United Way of Southern Nevada, the Nevada Broadcasters Association, and Nevada Succeeds, a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving the state’s education system for workforce development and economic growth. He is also an Advisory Board member of UNLV’s Greenspun College of Urban Affairs.

Douglas R. Seastrand

Douglas R. Seastrand has a great love for the state of Nevada having been born and raised in Las Vegas. He attended Brigham Young University and then graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He continued his post-graduate studies at UNLV by working on an MBA and a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Mr. Seastrand’s work experience covers both private and public service and considers himself an entrepreneur, creative problem solver, and family man. Mr. Seastrand works for National Security Technologies (NSTec), a federal contractor to the Department of Energy (DOE). He is a program manager and principal scientist supporting our nation’s national security, nuclear forensics, and counter terrorism programs. Mr. Seastrand has worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and as a contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). In the private sector, Mr. Seastrand served as the Vice President of Research and Development for eRoomSystems and helped take the company public in 2001. He has been a technology business consultant and general manager of a commercial construction company. Currently he enjoys supporting his wife at Hollywood Kids Academy, a triple-threat conservatory of performing arts. Mr. Seastrand was also twice elected to serve as a University Regent for the state of Nevada and had the honor of serving as the Chairman of the Board. In 2002, Mr. Seastrand was named UNLV’s College of Engineering “Alumnus of the Year.” In his spare time, Mr. Seastrand serves as a voluntary member of the Las Vegas Nevada Central Stake Presidency in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and enjoys spending time with his wife Margaret and their four children.

Donald D. Snyder

Donald Snyder has been involved with UNLV for nearly 30 years as a volunteer or administrator. Prior to his term as acting UNLV president, he served as dean of the UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality and as the university’s executive dean for strategic development. He has been a leader in UNLV’s push to create the new School of Medicine, and he led the planning efforts for a new football stadium. Mr. Snyder played an integral role as chairman of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. He is also a former member and chair of the UNLV Foundation and chair of the university’s successful $537 million Invent the Future capital campaign. Mr. Snyder has served on the boards of more than 15 public and private companies, numerous local non-profits, and several legislative commissions.

Following his graduation from college in 1969, Mr. Snyder began a successful banking career and later co-founded Bank of Nevada (originally called BankWest of Nevada). He served as President of Boyd Gaming from 1997-2005. Additionally, Mr. Snyder presently serves on the boards of the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, The Smith Center (Chairman), Nathan Adelson Hospice (past Chairman), and the UNLV Foundation (past Chairman). Snyder also chairs at the Transportation Resource Advisory Committee. His past board service includes the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Nevada Resort Association, American Gaming Association, United Way of Southern Nevada, Nevada Development Authority, and Council for a Better Nevada. Snyder is a cum laude graduate of the University of Wyoming (1969), with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Snyder and his wife, Dee, have been married for more than 46 years, and have three children and three grandchildren.

Stephanie Tyler

Vice President

Stephanie Tyler, President of AT&T Nevada, is an accomplished external affairs executive with 30 years of multi-state experience in corporate management, government relations, communications, campaign management and public service. Currently, Ms. Tyler is responsible for external affairs for AT&T Nevada including; state and local government relations, community affairs, regulatory and legislative activities. She also oversees external affairs operations in Utah, Idaho and Montana as well as supporting the External Affairs Western Region President in directing strategies for key initiatives in 16 Western states. Ms. Tyler is a former Nevada State Senator. She has also run several statewide and district campaigns in both Nevada and California. After spending six years lobbying the California Legislature, Ms. Tyler took a one-year leave of absence from AT&T at the request of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as Political Director to his successful re-election campaign. A native Nevadan, Ms. Tyler spent the early years of her career in a variety of political jobs including serving as staff to U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt in his capitol and district offices, running political caucus organizations, and contract lobbying. She is an active member of numerous community boards and commissions in both Reno and Las Vegas. Ms. Tyler serves as Treasurer of Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates, Vice Chair of the Desert Research Institute Foundation Board of Trustees, and Secretary of the Girl Scouts of Sierra Nevada. Ms. Tyler is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, with a degree in political science. She maintains offices in Reno, Las Vegas and Carson City.

David Walker

David B. Walker was born in Santa Monica, California, and joined the Nevada Museum of Art as executive director and CEO in 2007. In addition to establishing a vision and strategic plan, he launched the Museum’s internationally-recognized Center for Art + Environment; increased the operating budget, permanent art and archive collections, and institutional endowment; and has renovated and expanded the current Museum facility. Previously, he served 11 years as the Dean of Public Programs at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he created the School of Public Programs and provided the leadership for a new 100,000 square-foot South Campus. During this time, he co-founded The Design High School, a public charter school that employed design-based learning across the curriculum. He was founding partner of the Walker and Walker Gallery in Santa Monica, and worked five years as an associate with McBain, Rose Partners, an investment banking firm in Downtown Los Angeles that specialized in leveraged buyouts. He was publisher of Element – a widely distributed arts quarterly, and along with his wife, formed two original bands that inked deals with Warner Brothers Music and Chrysalis Music. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from Humboldt State University and did his graduate work at the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Burning Man.

Renee Yackira

Renee Yackira is a licensed attorney in the state of Nevada and has spent much of her career serving as counsel, policy and political strategist in the public sector. She recently retired as Special Advisor to the Chancellor for the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), having previously served as Vice Chancellor for NSHE. She has also held positions as Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel to former Governor Kenny Guinn, Chief Deputy Secretary of State for former Secretary of State Dean Heller, and Chief of Staff to the State Treasurer for former State Treasurer Kate Marshall. Ms. Yackira also has extensive private sector experience serving as Deputy General Counsel and Executive for Business Law for NV Energy, and practicing corporate law in California with the law firm Pillsbury Madison & Sutro (now known as Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman). Ms. Yackira received her law degree graduating summa cum laude from Santa Clara University School of Law. She also graduated magna cum laude from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Ms. Yackira currently serves on the boards of Nevada Public Radio and Notes with a Purpose.

Missy Young

Missy Young is the Chief Information Officer at Switch. She relocated to Las Vegas from Huntington Beach to join the company in 2005. As a partner at Switch, she is responsible for all sales and engineering with respect to potential clients, including solution architecture and contract negotiations. Her expertise is centered on helping clients understand the unique technology ecosystem that is Switch. She leads a phenomenal team of sales engineers and says that she has the best job ever. Prior to becoming a partner at Switch, Ms. Young was the Director of VoIP services for Mpower Communications. Her portfolio of experience also includes senior sales engineering positions at ICG Communications, InteleNet Data Centers, and Firstworld Communications. Ms. Young is Cisco, Microsoft, and Novell certified, and first got her start back in the dotcom days of the mid-90s. Ms. Young is dedicated to helping diversify Nevada’s economy and serving the local community through philanthropic endeavors. She serves as the Chairman for the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), sits on the IT Sector Council for GOED, the board of the Henderson Space and Science Center, the Foundation Board of Opportunity Village and is a Desert Research Institute Foundation Trustee.

Guinn Center Blog

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Readiness, preparedness, and coordination are the hallmarks of a comprehensive, proactive disaster plan that anticipates the unthinkable and can be executed with urgency. As first responders—including law enforcement agencies and...

The U.S. Attorney General Revokes Previous Guidance on Federal Enforcement of State Marijuana Laws

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On Thursday, January 4, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he is revoking a directive, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice during President Obama’s administration, that provided...